Emily Schooley

Emily Schooley
Emily Schooley Self Portrait pink
Born	Emily Patricia Lynn Schooley (1984-10-17) October 17, 1984 Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Occupation	Actress model writer filmmaker activist
Years active	2008–present
Website
http://emilyschooley.com

Emily Schooley (born October 17, 1984) is a Canadian film and theatre actress.^[1] Emily graduated with honors from the University of Waterloo in 2007, with an honors Bachelor of Arts in Drama. Acknowledged as a rising talent,^[2] she is known for being a scream queen,^[3] and is perhaps best known online for her leading roles as Michelle in Clutch and Dahlia Joss in ZED.TO.

Emily is a self-identifying geek with a love of Doctor Who,^[4][5] and was a special guest at the science-fiction convention Polaris in 2010. She has worked with notable geek icon Anthony Head.^[6] Though she does not consider herself a model,^[7] she does work occasionally in this area as well.

Early life

Born in Calgary, Alberta, Emily moved to Port Colborne, Ontario at an early age. Emily wrote and performed plays in her backyard from a very young age. She starred in her first lead role – as the Country Mouse, in a production of Aesop's Fables – at five years old, and had aspirations of making her own movies. She went on to attend Port Colborne High School; however, for most of her early school years, she had planned to become a veterinarian. Not to be forgotten, the acting bug re-emerged with a passion at the end of high school and at graduation Emily received the Dramatic Arts award, as well as awards and scholarships recognizing her accomplishments in creative writing and volunteerism.^[1]

Career

While in university, Emily performed mostly in theatre roles with groups such as Kitchener Waterloo Little Theatre and FASS. As well, she performed in a benefit run of Top Girls by Caryl Churchill for a local actor with cancer, and for several years' running as part of "She Speaks", an annual night of staged readings for International Women's Day.

After university, Emily began to work in film, beginning in 2008. Emily's first notable independent short film role – starring in Orange Girl in 2008 – earned a lot of attention at independent film festivals and gained her international fans when it screened as part of the Portobello Film Festival in the UK.^[8] The film won a prestigious two-star award from the Canadian International Film & Video Festival.^[9]

In February 2010, Emily moved to Toronto. She starred in Black Eve as Pimp,^[10][11] which filmed that same month and recently received widespread release after a successful run at festivals.^[12]

Since then, Emily has gone on to star in several other feature horror films, including playing the lead role of Ivette, a theoretical physicist, in Jeffery J. Timbrell's upcoming One Week in Windchocombe.^[13][14][15] Emily often plays the final girl, and because of her extensive work in Canadian horror she has become known as a scream queen.

With regards to major film and television, Emily has had featured cameo roles in Being Erica, Small Town Murder Songs, and The Dark Knight Rises.^[5] She also stars in an episode of Motives and Murders, playing the killer's wife.

Beginning in 2011, Emily began working in web series as well. Among other roles in independent series, she plays Michelle in Clutch; the series has gained accolades from festivals including the prestigious Marseille Web Fest, Indie Fest, and Indie Intertube Awards.^[16]

Professional theater engagements include acclaimed shows at the Toronto Fringe Festival. In 2012, Emily played fan-favorite complicated IT Director/party girl Dahlia Joss in ZED.TO.^[17][18][19] In 2013, Emily played the lead role of Lilith in Erotic Tales From the Old Testament.^[20][21][22]

Emily has also studied and performed longform improvisation with Second City Training Center and the former Impatient Theatre Co.^[23]

Outside of performing, Emily identifies as a writer, filmmaker, photographer and activist,^[24] and also runs her own creative arts company, Laughing Cat Creative.^[25] Emily has produced several short films, and was a guest speaker at Notacon in 2010 on the topic of independent filmmaking.^[26]

Personal life

Outside of performing, Emily is also an activist and writer.^[1] She was pursued by a litigious reggae producer in 2010^[27] and was wrongfully arrested in 2012 in a situation involving an abusive ex-boyfriend.^[1]

Filmography

References

External links

• Emily Schooley at the Internet Movie Database
• Emily Schooley's channel on YouTube
• Emily Schooley on Twitter
• Emily Schooley on Facebook
• Casting Workbook Profile